Wednesday, October 17, 2012

Ear Plugs For Musicians | Protect Your Hearing

I am a drummer who suffers from tinnitus. The constant
ringing in my ears is something that I have gotten used to.That doesn’t mean that I have accepted it. I
hate it. I wish it would stop.I started
wearing ear plugs in 1993.I was nine
years into my musical endeavors, but the damage was already done.It didn’t help that I fell asleep each night
with headphones on. When the ringing started, I found myself trying to stop the
advancement of the tinnitus, rather than eliminating it altogether. There are
very few effective ways to eliminate tinnitus. My efforts to stop this progress
have surely helped me to understand what musicians can do to take care of their
hearing.

Ear plugs made of foam are usually the first type that a musician
uses.They can be found at any drug
store, and are usually sold next to silicone plugs, or earplugs that swimmers
use.There are a few different styles of
foam plugs, some with a sponge type feel, that are cylindrical shape.Others look more like a bullet, and have a
smoother finish.Either type will
certainly give you protection, but I find that the “bullet” shaped plugs tend
to slip out of the ear as time goes on.The other issue I have with these plugs is that they tend to mute the
incoming sound in ways that makes it harder to play drums at a proper
level.I find myself hitting the drums
harder, thus killing some of the overtones of the drum kit. Still, foam plugs
work well to spare your ears, and they come with different levels of noise
reduction capability.

Ear Plugs For Musicians

Musicians ear plugs are designed to reduce sounds
evenly.You will see these plugs have
flanges, and a central flange. There are two parts to this plug that work to
reduce high and low frequencies. The diaphragm will take care of the lows,
while the central flange helps to bring down the high notes and sounds. These
plugs cost more, but can be reused.

In this category, you will also find the custom made ear
plugs.I took the time to visit an
audiologist, to have a mold made of ear canals. After taking a hearing test,
the audiologist made that mold, and within a few days I had a pair of earplugs
that fit my ears exclusively.They offer
the best attenuation, and noise reduction.They certainly cost more than a box of foam plugs, but the fit and sound
reduction made it an easy choice.

Finally, I must admit that I have a set of ear muffs, just like
the kind you see the airport baggage handlers wearing.I wear those when recording the drums.The ear muffs allow me to first put on a pair
of in-ear noise reducing headphones, and then I can put said earmuffs over the
ear plugs.I use the headphones to play along with a click track, but have a second layer of sound reduction with the ear muffs. I
also use the ear muffs during rehearsal, as they offer up a different type of
sound for the listener. I tend to hear more of the lows when I wear them. I
must admit that the bass guitar can bleed right through the ear muffs, so it’s
best to remind your bass player to keep the volume down, if possible.

I had to undergo a medical to prove I was physically fit to drive. This involved an orthopedic examination, nose and throat inspection (I have no idea why!), and a vision and hearing test (makes more sense). This gave me my first glimpse into how the ‘system’ works. While giving hearing test I was bit nervous because I love to listen music by head phone in loud volume.